…an affair with my kitchen…

Italian Nachos

A few weeks ago we treated the kids to a dinner of Spaghetti Tacos while they watched an iCarly marathon. Every weekend, either Friday or Saturday night, we let them stay up late and watch t.v. in the family room. As long as iCarly has been a part of our family’s viewing habits, the kids have been begging for a dinner of spaghetti tacos. I finally decided it was about time to indulge them when the iCarly marathon was focused around episodes that included spaghetti tacos.

Although my husband and I opted to have our own date-night-at-home dinner, we did both try a few bites. And I have to admit, they really weren’t too bad. For those of you that don’t know, spaghetti tacos are just like they sound – spaghetti noodles tossed with meat sauce and stuffed inside taco shells. There was just something about the crunchiness of the taco that worked so well with the spaghetti flavors.

As the night went on, I kept thinking about how much I enjoyed that combination. Then I had the idea for Italian Nachos. I mentioned it to Eric and he and I spent a while brainstorming. We narrowed down what we thought would make a truly great platter of Italian Nachos.

This dinner was as fun to put together as it was to eat. The final product was an awesome twist of Italian flavors in a classic nacho form. The kids dug in and happily cleaned their plates, although not before Eric and I had cleaned ours! YUM!

Italian Nachos

1 loaf Italian bread, very thinly sliced

Olive oil

Salt & pepper, to taste

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 onion, diced

1 15 oz. can petite diced tomatoes

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 T. Italian seasoning

2 t. garlic powder

2 t. sugar

1 t. salt

1/2 lb. provolone cheese, sliced or shredded

Sliced black olives

Sliced pepperoncinis

1/3 c. fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

1. Place the thinly sliced Italian bread slices in a single layer on two baking sheets. Lightly drizzle with olive oil and season to taste with salt and pepper. Bake at 325 degrees for about 30 minutes, until crispy.

3. Pile crisped Italian bread slices on a single baking sheet and top with meat sauce. Add the provolone on top and bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, until cheese is fully melted.

4. Top nachos with olives, pepperoncini and sliced basil. Serve immediately and enjoy!

The Italian bread adds a great Italian twist to the nacho theme, but if you want a quicker option, you could use tortilla chips. You could also make it even quicker by using a canned spaghetti sauce instead of a homemade, if you want. Any way you do it, I guarantee that you’ll enjoy this twist on a classic!